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15.1.16

Practical Ethics not linked to Religious Faith

Morality is not rooted in religion, and religion matters less for moral
values now than it did thirty years ago, says a researcher. Based on the
analysis of European survey data, researchers headed by the Manchester University Ingrid Storm found that religious
decline does not equal moral decline.

Dr Ingrid Storm's findings, based on her analysis of European survey
data, found that religious decline does not equal moral decline.
According to Dr Storm, whose research is published in Politics and Religion,
involvement in religion makes most difference to morality in the most
religious countries, and matters less for moral values now than it did
in the 1980s.
"Religion has been in sharp decline in many European countries. Each
new generation is less religious than the one before, so I was
interested to find out if there is any reason to expect moral decline"
she said.
Her study found that religion is only related to some moral values,
and more so in religious countries and when people do not trust the
state.
The respondents to questionnaires in 48 European countries over the
period from 1981 to 2008 were asked how often they would justify various
contentious behaviours, which she classified into two moral dimensions.
The first is about the individual going against tradition, for
example it includes justifying abortion and homosexuality. The second
moral dimension is more about justifying behaviours that are against the
law and could harm others, such as lying, cheating and stealing.
Dr Storm said: "More Europeans are now willing to justify behaviours
that go against tradition, but attitudes have not changed when it comes
to breaking the law or harming others.
"As religion has declined in Europe there has also been an increase
in acceptance of personal autonomy on issues concerning sexuality and
family. Each generation is more liberal on these issues than the one
before. In contrast, we find no evidence that moral values have become
more self-interested or anti-social."
The research also found that religious people are slightly less
self-interested on average, but this can largely be accounted for by
their age. This is because the average religious person is older than
the average nonreligious person, and older people, whenever they were
born, are less likely to justify self-interest values.
"Religious faith and worship also makes most difference to morality
in the most religious countries. To be effective, religious norms need
to be validated by a moral community of other religious friends and
family and social and political institutions" concluded Dr Storm.